According to OSU, this new understanding revealed “a
totally unexpected behavior” about a motor protein that functions as chromosomes are segregated during cell division and this new knowledge could, in
particular, one day lead to new treatment approaches for certain types of cancers.

Motor proteins are tiny
molecular “machines” that convert chemical energy into mechanical work. They are, in essence, miniature vehicles in a cell that move on a network
of tracks commonly referred to as the cytoskeleton.

As OSU noted, “They shuttle cellular cargos between
locations and generate forces to position chromosomes. But in spite of intensive research efforts over many years, mechanisms underlying the actions of many
motor proteins are still unclear.”

This study focused on a particular motor protein called KlpA and used a
high-sensitivity light microscopy method to directly follow the movement of individual KlpA molecules on the cytoskeleton track. They discovered that KlpA is
able to move in opposite directions, which the researchers say was an unusual finding—KlpA-like motor proteins were thought to be exclusively one-way
vehicles.

The researchers also discovered that KlpA contains a gear-like component that enables it to switch
direction of movement. This allows it to localize to different regions inside the cell so it can help ensure that chromosomes are properly divided for normal
cell division.

“In the past, KlpA-like motor proteins were thought to be largely redundant, and as a result
they haven’t been studied very much,” Qiu said. “It’s becoming clear that KlpA-like motors in humans are crucial to cancer cell
proliferation and survival. Our results help better understand other KlpA-like motor proteins including the ones from humans, which could eventually lead to
novel approaches to cancer treatment.”

“KlpA is a fascinating motor protein because it is the first of
its kind to demonstrate bidirectional movement,” Qiu added. “It provides a golden opportunity for us to learn from Mother Nature the rules that
we can use to design motor protein-based transport devices. Hopefully in the near future, we could engineer motor protein-based robotics for drug delivery in
a more precise and controllable manner.”